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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. land — a country
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. season — of the year
  8. fine — high quality
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. fine — all right
  15. mate — to breed
  16. land — to come down
  17. kid — to tease
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com